This is not how I would make drawer bottoms for a plywood kitchen cabinet. On the other hand if I take the time to build something that you won't find in a factory outlet, I won't build the drawer like the folks in the factory.
I am building a cherry and maple or possibly a cherry and walnut table. Its small and it will go by a bed side with a lamp so guests can read before calling it a day. I hope they will glance at the front and the top and admire the simple beauty of the wood before they end the day. The drawer fronts in the photo are cherry. The figured crotch is darker than the surrounding plain cherry but that's alright. It was a surprise to me but as I got used to it I'm OK.
The legs are joined to the sides and back with long tenons. At the top of the legs in the front I use the traditional dovetail commonly found on tables like this.
the dovetails provide a great joint and a must joint for the top of the leg. A tenon would not work here.
I would like to show you how I assemble the drawer bottoms as you have seen the basic joinery for the side, front and back.
In the photo above you see the bottom. The grain runs side to side. This allows the solid wood bottom to expand and shrink with the weather. With all the rain and humidity this time of the year this is an easy guess for me.
With a simple handplane, I bevel the sides and the front edge so it slips in to the groove.
I will set the front edge in fairly tight this time of the year with the wood at full expansion I think it will only shrink once I bring it in the house. I will leave the bottom board about a quarter of an inch long for future adjustments if needed.
Notice the bottom is a little long and the sides of the dovetails are left long? This is good. It gives you extra wood to adjust around January when the dry heat has the pine down in width.
So why do this? I still get satisfaction when a drawer glides in place and the smell of pine gets pushed out as it closes. It might seem overly romantic but it sure is nice when you open the drawer and find the surprise.
The legs are joined to the sides and back with long tenons. At the top of the legs in the front I use the traditional dovetail commonly found on tables like this.
the dovetails provide a great joint and a must joint for the top of the leg. A tenon would not work here.
I would like to show you how I assemble the drawer bottoms as you have seen the basic joinery for the side, front and back.
In the photo above you see the bottom. The grain runs side to side. This allows the solid wood bottom to expand and shrink with the weather. With all the rain and humidity this time of the year this is an easy guess for me.
With a simple handplane, I bevel the sides and the front edge so it slips in to the groove.
I will set the front edge in fairly tight this time of the year with the wood at full expansion I think it will only shrink once I bring it in the house. I will leave the bottom board about a quarter of an inch long for future adjustments if needed.
Notice the bottom is a little long and the sides of the dovetails are left long? This is good. It gives you extra wood to adjust around January when the dry heat has the pine down in width.
So why do this? I still get satisfaction when a drawer glides in place and the smell of pine gets pushed out as it closes. It might seem overly romantic but it sure is nice when you open the drawer and find the surprise.
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